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The Rada nation represents Lwa who come straight from the West African area known today as Benin. Dr. Karen McCarthy Brown describes these Lwa as civilian or familiar in nature. Rada rites are said to be the cooler, more beneficent and magnanimous portion of the classic Vodou service. It honors those Nations and Lwa who are familiar in nature, African in origin and royal in lineage. The Rada Nations tend to be more balanced, often occurring in pairs. Here we find Danbala and Ayida Wedo, the hermaphroditic creation serpents; the twins, the Marasa Dosu Dosa; Met Agwe and his wife, LaSiren; Sobo/Bade, Lwas of thunder and Wind; and the gentle Lwas of agriculture, Couzin and Couzen Azaka.
The Royal Lineage is seen in Lwa such as Agassou, the Leopard Lwa. He is not a leopard, but was a king of Adja in Africa. His legend states that his mother mated with a leopard, and produced him as a result. Even today, his descendants still sit upon the leopard throne, head the secret Leopard Society of Adja and guard his spear and shield, gifts from his Divine Father.
Rada rites include the nations of Dahomey, Adja, Ibo and Seneka. They are followed immediately by the Nago nations, who are also honored under the Rada portion of the service. The Lwa who are named during the Rada portion of the service roughly fall under these categories of nations. White is the preferred color of these nations - with a second color added in for identification.
There are additional and numerous more Lwa than what is listed here. Each house serves family spirits, inherited Lwa and ancestral mysteries. Knowing your house lineage is the best way to begin to find out who is walking with you. The saying goes “Lwa choose who they will” and it is not our choice who that may be.
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